The inspector who followed the murder case of Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira has been removed from office

Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira, a journalist and lawyer who investigated trafficking in the Brazilian Amazon, were killed on June 5, 2022.After two years, the investigations suffer a serious blow.

• The murder of Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira was committed on June 5, 2022 in Brazil.
• Dom Phillips was a journalist for the Guardian, while Bruno Pereira was a defense lawyer for uncontacted populations.
• Two years later, the inspector in charge of the investigation was removed without justification.

It's been more than two years after death Of Dom Phillips, long-time journalist for the British newspaper The Guardian, e Bruno Araújo Pereira, former government official charged with protecting Brazil's uncontacted tribes.The two were killed for conducting research on illicit trafficking in the Amazon.

The first investigations, from the beginning, seemed lack of real commitment to shed light on these murders.Now, one more shot at the search for truth: Francisco Badenes, head of the federal police in charge of investigating the murders of Pereira and Phillips, it was suddenly removed from his position.

Investigations compromised

Badenes, a highly experienced investigator, had been tasked with leading the investigation into the murder of Pereira and Phillips, which occurred in June 2022 near the Amazonian city of Atalaia do Norte.The two, returning from a reportage on the borders of one of the largest indigenous territories in Brazil, they had been victims of a deadly ambush.In addition to this case, Badenes was also following the investigation into the murder of Maxciel Pereira dos Santos, an official from the indigenous protection agency Funai, murdered in 2019 in the border town of Tabatinga.

But now, at the end of August, Badenes he was relieved of his duties without a clear explanation, and also removed from the investigation into a 2020 massacre allegedly committed by military police officers in another Amazon region.

Eliesio Marubo, lawyer of the indigenous association Univaja, where Pereira worked, called the removal of Badenes “a big step back”.Marubo expressed concern that such a decision could compromise police investigations and efforts to counter the criminal network suspected of being responsible for these and other crimes in the region.

“This decision is detrimental to the investigation,” Marubo said, adding that “a change of this magnitude would require a justification of public interest, but I don't see any here."For this reason, Univaja asked the Ministry of Justice for clarification.

Thais Rego Monteiro, a lawyer representing Santos' family, expressed shock and regret at Badenes' removal, describing him as a diligent, skilled and efficient investigator.Monteiro underlined how, under Badenes' leadership, the investigation into Santos' murder had finally made significant progress after years of stalemate.Santos' family, he added, is being heard from now “dejected and deeply worried” for this decision, fearing that it could hinder the completion of the investigation.

Although the federal police have avoided making official statements about the changes, an inside source confirmed to Guardian that a new investigator will take control of the three investigations and expressed hope that this would speed up the process of justice for the murders of Phillips, Pereira and Santos.

The murder of Phillips and Pereira in Brazil is part of a conspiracy

Pereira and Phillips were murdered while sailing along the Itaquaí River on June 5, 2022, during a visit to indigenous patrol teams tasked with protecting the territory of the Javari Valley, a vast area of ​​rainforest that is home to the world's highest concentration of peoples uncontacted.

THE alleged perpetrators – a trio of fishermen made up of Amarildo da Costa de Oliveira, Oseney da Costa de Oliveira and Jeferson da Silva Lima – are currently detained in maximum security prisons and are expected to face trial next year.It is suspected that they have acted on behalf of Ruben Dario da Silva Villar, accused of running an international illegal fishing network that exploits protected indigenous lands.Villar was also arrested and charged.Amarildo da Costa de Oliveira and Jeferson da Silva Lima initially confessed to the murders, only to later declare that they had acted in "self-defense" after being attacked by Pereira.Their accomplices denied any involvement in the crime.

Marubo, who hopes for Badenes' reinstatement, expressed fear that replacing the investigator could compromise efforts to bring those responsible for the murders and crimes to justice. illegal poaching, drug trafficking and mining activities in the Javari Valley.Indigenous activists fear that behind the murders of Phillips, Pereira and Santos there is a larger conspiracy, claiming that criminal groups continue to operate in the remote Amazon region.